Mobile communication is becoming increasingly widespread as the number of available services multiply. However the higher billing costs associated with most mobile networks and also the often inferior reception of mobile signals inside some buildings mean that subscribers generally prefer to retain a fixed telephone access in the home or a place of business. The types of services and also the way in which these services are presented differ depending on whether the subscriber is using a mobile phone or a fixed phone. This can range from the provision of completely different services, such as SMS, to the manner in which an address book is used. Moreover, subscribers to mobile and fixed phone networks will generally have different subscriptions and thus different phone numbers. Indeed in many countries, a reliable fixed access to telecommunication services is provided by only a single operator. A subscriber to both a mobile and fixed telephone network will therefore be obliged to adapt the manner in which he uses the fixed and mobile sets.
A presently available service uses a single handset that combines a GSM terminal with a cordless handset for accessing a fixed network. The handset can access the fixed network, for example via a PBX in a corporate facility, using a digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) system. When the handset passes out of range of the PBX base station the handset communicates with the GSM network. The user has both a fixed and a mobile subscription and also has separate numbers associated with these subscriptions. This allows the user to retain the use of a single phone, however, the services available will depend on whether the phone is being used as a GSM terminal or cordless handset. The phone is also large compared to conventional mobile terminals since it essentially consists of a GSM terminal arranged back to back with a DECT handset.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved communication network that alleviates the problems of prior art arrangements.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a communication network and network elements that enable a uniformity of service whether a subscriber uses a fixed or mobile access to telecommunication services.